Ms. May's story is lovingly sponsored by Claude Hawkins
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The theme of A Calendar to Live By 2024 is to Write an Optimistic New Narrative. All 12 women who grace its pages have honest, inspiring stories written in their own words to share with readers -- as well as words of advice for other young women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Read on to get to know more about Ms. May's 2024.
Pathy Valiente – Ms. May | Diagnosed at 38 (2019)
My children and my devotion to God provide me with the strength I need to keep fighting and to stay strong! I feel like cancer has forever labeled me, but I continue to work hard at trying to figure out who I am now. I am more than cancer…I am a survivor! On November 15th, 2019, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It took me a few weeks to finally say the words out loud. Once I did, the diagnosis became real. All I could think about was that my husband was deployed to Bahrain at the time, I had two kids to take care of on my own and my family lived in El Salvador. H4TG helped me understand my diagnosis, supported me through this journey and made me feel like I wasn’t alone. They became a safe place where I could go and scream or cry when I needed to. I used to think that I didn’t belong in the group because my cancer story was so short, until one of the founders heard me and told me that everyone’s cancer is different, but we have all been diagnosed with the same cancer. I try not to let anybody see how cancer has really changed my life and I avoid crying in front of the people I love. I cry with the girls!
MY WORD: I AM PERSERVERANCE